Dr. Nila Vora practices adult endocrinology. Dr. Vora graduated from the University of Mumbai and then she performed her residency at King Edward Memorial Hospital and Seth G.S. Medical College. Her clinical interests include diabetes and aviation medical exams. She has a 4.0 out of 5 star average patient rating. Dr. Vora takes Humana HMO, Humana Bronze, Humana Catastrophic, and more. Dr. Vora (or staff) speaks the following languages: Gujarati and Hindi. She is affiliated with Loyola Center for Health at Burr Ridge.

Dr. Ammar Bayrakdar specializes in adult endocrinology and practices in Evergreen Park, IL, Hickory Hills, IL, and Maywood, IL. Patients gave him an average rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. He is especially interested in hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and diabetes. Dr. Bayrakdar is an in-network provider for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, CIGNA Plans, and Humana HMO, in addition to other insurance carriers. He attended the University of Damascus Faculty of Medicine and then went on to complete his residency at Saint Joseph Hospital, Chicago. He has received the following distinction: Chicago Super Doctors. Dr. Bayrakdar is conversant in Arabic. His hospital/clinic affiliations include Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale, Loyola Outpatient Center (LOC), and Little Company of Mary Health Providers Network. Dr. Bayrakdar's practice is open to new patients.

Dr. Jennifer Miller's area of specialization is pediatric endocrinology. Dr. Miller attended medical school at Ohio State University College of Medicine. She trained at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago for residency. Her areas of clinical interest consist of diabetes, growth problems, and thyroid problems. Dr. Miller takes Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Coventry, Aetna, and more. She is professionally affiliated with Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Children's Hospital of Chicago Faculty Practice Plan.

Dr. Mary Emanuele specializes in adult endocrinology and practices in Maywood, IL and Burr Ridge, IL. Her areas of expertise consist of diabetes, thyroid problems, and pituitary disorders. She accepts Humana HMO, Humana Bronze, Humana Catastrophic, and more. Dr. Emanuele studied medicine at Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine. For her professional training, Dr. Emanuele completed residency programs at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University and a hospital affiliated with the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has received professional recognition including the following: Chicago Super Doctors. Her professional affiliations include Loyola Outpatient Center (LOC), Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, and Loyola Center for Health at Burr Ridge.

Dr. Gerald Charnogursky is an adult endocrinology specialist. His average patient rating is 5.0 stars out of 5. In his practice, Dr. Charnogursky focuses on diabetes, thyroid problems, and pituitary disorders. Dr. Charnogursky takes several insurance carriers, including Humana HMO, Humana Bronze, and Humana Catastrophic. Before completing his residency at a hospital affiliated with SUNY Upstate Medical University, Dr. Charnogursky attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He has received the following distinction: Chicago Super Doctors. Dr. Charnogursky's professional affiliations include Loyola Outpatient Center (LOC) and Loyola Center for Health at Homer Glen.

Dr. Sarah Nadeem's specialty is adult endocrinology. These areas are among Dr. Nadeem's clinical interests: disorders of calcium metabolism, diabetes, and vitamin D deficiency. She is an in-network provider for several insurance carriers, including Humana HMO, Humana Bronze, and Humana Catastrophic. She graduated from Aga Khan University Medical College. Her residency was performed at Beaumont Hospitals. Dr. Nadeem (or staff) is conversant in Urdu. Her professional affiliations include Loyola Outpatient Center (LOC) and Loyola Center for Health at Burr Ridge.

Dr. Edward Sankary works as a general internist. He studied medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, School of Medicine. For his professional training, Dr. Sankary completed residency programs at Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital and a hospital affiliated with Loyola University. Clinical interests for Dr. Sankary include diabetes, primary care, and hypertension (high blood pressure). Patients gave Dr. Sankary an average rating of 4.0 stars out of 5. Humana HMO, Humana Bronze, and Humana Catastrophic are among the insurance carriers that Dr. Sankary honors. His professional affiliations include Palos Hospital and Loyola Medicine. He is accepting new patients.

Dr. Norma Lopez works as a general internist. Her areas of expertise include diabetes, pituitary disorders, and osteoporosis. Humana HMO, Humana Bronze, and Humana Catastrophic are among the insurance carriers that Dr. Lopez accepts. Dr. Lopez graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago and then she performed her residency at a hospital affiliated with Loyola University. She speaks Spanish. Dr. Lopez is affiliated with Loyola Outpatient Center (LOC), Loyola Center for Health at Burr Ridge, and Loyola Center for Health at Homer Glen.

Dr. James Rupp's medical specialty is general internal medicine. Clinical interests for Dr. Rupp include diabetes, preventive care, and cholesterol problems (lipid disorders). Dr. Rupp is affiliated with Loyola Medicine. He takes Humana HMO, Humana Bronze, and Humana Catastrophic, in addition to other insurance carriers. He studied medicine at Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine. He completed his residency training at a hospital affiliated with Loyola University.

Dr. Susan Anderson-Nelson practices surgery and ophthalmology (eye disease) in Wheaton, IL, Naperville, IL, and Hinsdale, IL. She has a special interest in diabetes and macular degeneration. She honors several insurance carriers, including Aetna EPO, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and TRICARE. Dr. Anderson-Nelson graduated from Rush Medical College. She completed her residency training at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. She is professionally affiliated with Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital and Cook County Health & Hospitals System. Dr. Anderson-Nelson's practice is open to new patients.

Dr. Noha Ekdawi is a medical specialist in pediatric ophthalmology. Her areas of expertise include diabetes, amblyopia (lazy eye), and down syndrome. She is professionally affiliated with Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital. Before performing her residency at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Ekdawi attended Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Chicago Medical School and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago for medical school. Patients gave her an average rating of 4.0 stars out of 5. Dr. Ekdawi is an in-network provider for Aetna EPO, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, TRICARE, and more. Her practice is open to new patients.

Dr. Hasan Khan's area of specialization is general internal medicine. Areas of expertise for Dr. Khan include well woman gynecology, cancer screening, and cardiac risk reduction. On average, patients gave him a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. He is an in-network provider for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Coventry, and TRICARE, in addition to other insurance carriers. He is a graduate of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Chicago Medical School. His professional affiliations include Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale, Adventist Medical Center La Grange, and Adventist Health Network (AHN). Dr. Khan welcomes new patients.

Dr. O. Mercado is a foot doctor and foot and ankle surgeon in Carol Stream, IL, Oak Park, IL, and Naperville, IL. He has indicated that his clinical interests include diabetes, foot problems, and leg ulcers. He is an in-network provider for Aetna EPO, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and Coventry, in addition to other insurance carriers. Dr. Mercado trained at Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center. for residency. In addition to English, Dr. Mercado (or staff) speaks Spanish and Polish. Dr. Mercado is affiliated with Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital and Gottlieb Memorial Hospital. He is accepting new patients.

Endocrinology is a medical specialty that deals with glands and hormones. Hormones are substances that act like chemical messengers between parts of the body. They are produced by glands, and travel in the bloodstream throughout the body where they act on different organs and cells to affect many different functions of life. Hormones control our appetite, growth, reproduction, and energy. When there is too little or too much of a hormone, an endocrinologist can help restore the balance.

Endocrinology problems are sometimes difficult and complex because hormones travel throughout the body and can affect more than one system. A single, simple imbalance can produce multiple, very different symptoms. Just a few of the diverse diseases treated by an endocrinologist include:

Diabetes (where insulin is not produced in the body or is not working well, and blood sugar levels rise, which damages tissues)

Hypothyroidism (where thyroid hormones are not produced well, reducing cell metabolism and energy)

Precocious Puberty (where reproductive hormones are produced too early in a child’s life)

Gigantism (where growth hormones are overproduced, leading to unusual size)

Endocrinology can contain subspecialties where physicians focus their care on specific groups of patients. For example, some endocrinologists are diabetic endocrinologists who know specifically how to care for diabetics’ particular needs in eye care, circulation, and foot care. Pediatric endocrinologists treat children. Whatever their subspecialty, all endocrinologists have the same goal: restoring balance when the body’s messaging system is not working correctly.

Hormones are chemicals that are produced by the body and flow through the bloodstream. They control a number of important functions, including growth, metabolism, and sexual development. Doctors that treat hormonal problems are called endocrinologists, and endocrinologists that work with children are pediatric endocrinologists.

Pediatric endocrinologists treat children of all ages, from newborn babies to young adults. Because hormones affect growth and sexual development, endocrine disorders affect children and teens very differently than they do adults. Some disorders, such as precocious (early) puberty, only affect children. Some endocrine disorders have different symptoms in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. A pediatric endocrinologist must be aware of how hormonal problems specifically affect children’s health and development.

Diabetes, a disease caused by problems with the hormone insulin, is the most common disorder treated by pediatric endocrinologists. Other issues include:

Growth disorders, which prevent children from growing or maturing as expected

Thyroid disease

Pituitary or adrenal disorders

Sex hormone disorders, where the body produces either too little or too much of the hormones that affect puberty and sexual development

Unexplained obesity

Intersex, a group of conditions that make a person's sex unclear

Vitamin D deficiency

Problems with calcium metabolism

Treatment for transgender children, who feel they do not match the gender associated with their external genitalia (many, but not all, pediatric endocrinology offices provide this service)

For most endocrine disorders, treatment involves medication taken to either supplement or suppress certain hormone levels.

Since hormones control so many functions within the body and are so crucial during the early stages of life, an endocrine disorder can be devastating for a child. Pediatric endocrinologists help get your child’s hormones back in balance.

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What is Diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus, or simply 'diabetes,' is a disease where levels of sugar in the blood become dangerously high. When food is eaten, the body converts it into a form of sugar called glucose that can be used by cells in the body for energy. An organ called the pancreas secretes a hormone called insulin that acts like a key, ‘unlocking’ cell walls so that glucose can be absorbed and used. When something in this process goes wrong, and glucose builds up to dangerous levels, diabetes happens.

There are a couple of different types of diabetes, depending on what is causing glucose levels to rise.

Type 1 diabetes happens when the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Usually diagnosed in childhood, this type used to be called juvenile diabetes. It affects about 5% of all diabetics. We don’t know what causes the pancreas to shut down, but it is thought that a virus might trigger an immune reaction, where the body attacks and destroys the pancreas by mistake. People who have relatives with type 1 diabetes are more likely to have it themselves.

Type 2 diabetes happens when the cell walls do not recognize the insulin produced very well, called insulin resistance. The pancreas can still produce insulin, but it is not effective at lowering blood sugar levels. This type of diabetes is strongly linked to being overweight. However, not everyone who is overweight will get type 2 diabetes, and not everyone who has type 2 diabetes is overweight. Other risk factors include age, race, and a family history of diabetes.

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that happens in the last half of pregnancy. Women with gestational diabetes generally do not have diabetes before or after they are pregnant. The placenta produces hormones that block the action of insulin in the mother’s body. For about 18% of women, their pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to keep up with the increased demands and they become diabetic while pregnant. High blood sugar levels can be dangerous to the developing fetus, causing complications such as high birth weight, low blood sugar and jaundice, so it is important to treat gestational diabetes even if it only lasts a few weeks.

Many people currently living with diabetes do not know it yet, since mild diabetes has few or no symptoms. As blood sugar levels rise over time, symptoms begin to appear. Some include:

thirst

fatigue

frequent urination

unexplained weight loss

blurred vision

A simple blood test in the doctor’s office can diagnose diabetes.

Treatment depends on the type and severity of diabetes. Most people with type 1 diabetes rely on insulin injections to survive. Some people with type 2 or gestational diabetes also take insulin, or they may take oral medications or control their blood sugar with diet and exercise. It’s important for all diabetics to monitor their blood sugar daily so they can stay healthy.

If diabetes is not treated well, it can be dangerous, damaging the eyes, nerves, and kidneys, and leading to heart disease and the loss of limbs. However, if it is well managed, diabetes does not have to limit your life. Keeping diabetes under good control is the best way to enjoy a long and healthy life.